#95 · 95 of 305
“My trump cards—they are never revealed in the sunlight.”
"So this time, I will absolutely win."
——
"After several days of research and analysis, we have finally reached some conclusions."
Meanwhile, at the inn in Shingo Village, Elaine was indeed explaining the current status of the investigation to Qi Xing,
"First, we have finally figured out what is going on with those 'near-immortal bodies'."
Her voice was, as always, calm, but as she said this, her brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of disgust flickered in her eyes.
"After precise examinations following autopsies, the Onmyoryo discovered that the blood vessels and even the bone marrow of those sorcerers were filled with things resembling plant roots."
Plant roots?
Qi Xing hadn't noticed when he beat them into a pulp. In other words, they must be extremely fine and deep.
Just imagining that scene made Qi Xing's scalp prickle. The mere thought of countless hair-thin 'roots' hiding deep within bone and flesh, growing ceaselessly, was enough to make one instinctively shudder.
And…
"Roots growing inside a human body, constantly resurrecting and regenerating. So that's it—Cordyceps, is it?"
Thinking back to the previous battle with the Jūyaku Clan, Qi Xing couldn't help but sneer.
More accurately, it should be a sorcery technique based on the concept of Cordyceps.
Some might say upon hearing this that Cordyceps is a fungus, not a plant. But the ancients did not know this. In ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine and metaphysics, insects and plants were actually considered interchangeable.
Rotten grass turning into fireflies, Cordyceps—they all follow this logic. Therefore, the ancients believed that Cordyceps was—'In winter it is in the soil, shaped like an old silkworm, hairy and able to move; by summer, the hair emerges from the soil, and the whole body transforms into grass. If not harvested, it transforms back into a worm in winter.'
In short, the ancients believed that Cordyceps was a precious tonic medicinal material that died in winter and resurrected in summer, possessing such formidable vitality.
Furthermore, because Taoist sorcery and Buddhism sorcery inevitably had exchanges with each other, Qi Xing also had some understanding of Esoteric Buddhism sorcery. Thus, he knew that the earliest written record of Cordyceps in his country came from a Tang Dynasty Esoteric Buddhism pharmacological text…
"The 'Moon King's Treatise on Medical Methods', claimed to be from the Moonlight King Bodhisattva under the seat of the Medicine Buddha—no wonder they call this 'Waka-mizu'; it's not entirely a lie."
Qi Xing shook his head,
"But even if Cordyceps has the cyclical, immortal vitality of 'grass turning into worms, hibernating in winter and waking in summer,' it's impossible for them to take thirty of my punches. These immortal Cordyceps-humans recover too quickly—where does the energy come from?"
The answer, in fact, was very simple.
Elaine spread out the pages of the report and gently pointed to a certain section: "The earth."
"Just as Cordyceps is buried underground to accumulate vitality in metaphysics, their regenerative energy is also absorbed from the spirit veins of the earth."
"The 'roots and stems' inside these sorcerers are the medium connecting to the spirit veins. They absorb energy from the spirit veins and use it to repair their flesh."
Individual vitality could never withstand the fierce onslaught of Qi Xing's Thunder Fist; even their health bars would be blown away. The only thing capable of paying for this massive consumption was the natural spiritual energy flowing from the abundant spirit veins of the Northeast earth.
The 'Waka-mizu' given to them by 'True Buddhism' caused roots and stems to grow within their flesh after they drank it, naturally absorbing energy from the earth's spirit veins and constantly regenerating their bodies. This continued until their souls could no longer support it and they were completely obliterated.
It was an absolutely heinous dark art. If a person with trypophobia saw those dense, fine roots growing inside a body, they would likely faint on the spot.
"In other words, if I really beat those sorcerers from the noble clans who drank Waka-mizu to death, would they end up draining the spirit veins dry?"
Qi Xing couldn't help but frown.
"Yes," Elaine nodded gently. "They have become entities similar to parasitic conduits, regenerating while simultaneously extracting spiritual energy from the surrounding spirit veins."
"This technique is too overbearing; how did 'True Buddhism' achieve it?" Qi Xing's brows furrowed even tighter. "Since when have spirit veins been so easy to tap into, as convenient as running water?"
Generally speaking, of course not. Everyone knows that's impossible.
Therefore, the Onmyoryo still didn't know how to answer this question even now.
'True Buddhism' seemed to really possess this strange ability, making the spirit veins of this Northeast land easily usable for them. It was as if she was more familiar with the structure and mysteries of the spirit veins here, and had been for longer, than even the Imperial Court.
It was almost as if there was a root network they had laid out in advance deep within the earth.
"The Onmyoryo can only confirm now that for all these sealed noble clan sorcerers, the spirit veins connected to the roots and stems within their bodies all ultimately converge at the same location."
Elaine sighed,
"Let the representative from the Onmyoryo explain the rest."
She closed her laptop and stepped aside.
The official Onmyoji representative sent by the Onmyoryo this time was, of course, Mr. Gojo Masamichi, who had been rescued by Qi Xing from the mouth of the old man from the Jūyaku Clan just a few days ago after suffering from bug infestation.
He was truly a person of immense mental fortitude. Having just been infested by bugs a few days ago, he was now sitting upright on the tatami mat with a calm and indifferent expression, his uniform neat and clean, holding a document folder in his hand. In this regard, even Qi Xing had to admit he was inferior.
After all, Qi Xing hadn't been infested.
"The source of all this must be traced back to the fifth year of Jishō in the Heian period, which is 1181 AD."
Gojo began his explanation calmly.
Qi Xing immediately retorted, "Starting from the 12th century? Are you serious?"
"Quite serious, Master Leipu. This is by no means superfluous."
Gojo countered with composure,
"If one does not look back at the past, one cannot understand the enemy of today."
"Please listen as I start from the beginning."
"According to the records of the Onmyoryo Calendar Doctor, Abe no Yasutada, in the 'Kamo no Sadahira Ason Records', in the fifth year of Jishō, a great famine occurred throughout Japan, and even near Kyoto, the tragic scene of people eating each other appeared. Passersby collapsed and died, and bandits killed people for food."
"The world was in famine, and even Kyoto was like this, let alone the Northeast Aomori, which was a border region at the time and had a cold climate. Not only was there a great famine, but a plague also broke out."
This was history with clear written records in the Onmyoryo. The Northeast of Japan, then known as Mutsu Province, was in a condition that could be described as incredibly tragic; nine out of ten households were empty, and there were more dead than living. Most villages were directly destroyed.
Only one place was very special.
Only one village was different.
Everything started from there.
094: Abandoned Village Girl SIREN
Everything originated in the Heian period.
Japan's Onmyoryo was not only the Imperial Court's Onmyodo agency, but to a certain extent, it also led the lower-status, itinerant prayer masters, diviners, and chanters found throughout the country.
Although this management was not strict, it was actually more like a nominal 'boss'. After all, the degree of centralization in ancient times was not high, and the transmission of information was slow. But at least these people could help the Onmyoryo gather intelligence and collect rumors, serving as a certain kind of eyes and ears.
In the fifth year of Jishō, or 1181 AD, the Onmyoryo's eyes and ears in the Northeast of Japan, then known as Mutsu Province, sent a report: "February 26th, outside Mount Hakkoda, Sugisawa Village."
"Years of consecutive famine, frost and snow do not melt, many people are starving to death. Villagers cry out day and night, exchanging children to eat."
"That night, the stars moved in reverse, and a red light fell at the foot of the northern ridge. Something fell from the sky, shaped like a human but with a spirit unlike a human. With hair hanging over its face, it sat in the lotus position, its aura like a cold star, neither speaking nor moving."
"The villagers feared it and dared not approach, thinking it an evil spirit, and called it 'Duo Chenzi'."
"Several days later, a young girl, starving to the extreme, approached, and Duo Chenzi suddenly cut its own arm, cutting off flesh to give to the child."
"The child ate it, her belly was full and she was unharmed; the next day her skin was even moist, and she walked as if flying."
"After that, the hungry in the village flocked to it. Duo Chenzi cut its own flesh daily to give to them; everyone accepted and ate it, and they did not die for a long time, and their illnesses completely vanished."
"The villagers then regarded it as a god, built a thatched hut to honor it, and set up incense to worship it."
"It was also said that Duo Chenzi taught sorcery to the people, saying: 'Practice this art, and flesh and blood will cycle without end, inexhaustible'."
"The villagers believed and practiced it, and indeed obtained endless flesh and blood, no longer suffering from hunger."
"Such dark arts cannot be ignored. I will secretly investigate the matter and report it in detail to the superiors later."
"I guess this scout never 'reported it in detail to the superiors' after that?"
Hearing this, Qi Xing couldn't help but rub his forehead and retort,
"You knew the place was conducting strange dark arts, you had a field investigator go missing, and yet you, the Kyoto Onmyoryo, still didn't intervene?"
However, this time, before Gojo Masamichi could explain, Elaine said in a low voice, "Qi Xing, they were at war back then."
Oh? Oh, indeed.
From the fifth year of Jishō (1181) to the first year of Juei (1182), Japan suffered a great drought, on top of the civil war between the Minamoto and Taira clans. The Minamoto raised an army, and the Taira sent troops to suppress the rebellion, continuously levying military provisions, which led to a large number of people starving to death. This is historically known as the Yōwa Famine.
This was not only a natural disaster but also a man-made one.
The Kyoto Onmyoryo, although they received reports and knew that something strange was happening in the provinces, were also embroiled in the civil war for control of the central government. How could they have the time to deal with cannibalistic dark arts in the countryside? Moreover, this missing scout was not part of the Onmyoryo's internal staff, but just a temporary worker.
To put it bluntly, even the people in the city were starving to the point of cannibalism; who cared how a small village in the countryside was creatively eating people!
This civil war lasted until 1185, when the Minamoto defeated the Taira, established the Kamakura Shogunate, and became the actual political center of Japan. The Onmyoryo was busy participating in the establishment of the new regime and had even less time to deal with the small matters of the Northeast.
For several hundred years afterward, because the political situation in Japan was turbulent from time to time, the Onmyoryo was always too busy and, in fact, truly forgot about this trivial matter.
The strange little village thus hid in the cracks of the era, continuing to exist unnoticed.
The next time the Onmyoryo noticed it, it was already hundreds of years later, in the Edo period.
In the Edo period, Japan was relatively much more peaceful, and society began to have some order. Folk sorcerers across the country had to obtain licenses from the Onmyoryo to be legally employed.
Because of this, the Onmyoryo noticed that in the countryside of Mutsu Province, that 'Sugisawa Village' outside Mount Hakkoda was actually still alive and still existed.
Centuries had passed, and it was as if the cannibalism had never happened in that village.
But the village already had other rumors.
It was said that there were only women in that village.
In the third year of Kan'ei (1626), the Onmyoryo's eyes and ears in the Northeast sent a new report: "Recently, it was heard that at the foot of Mount Hakkoda in Mutsu Province, there is a village named Sugisawa. Surrounded by mountains and forests, the scenery is tranquil and secluded; wild vegetables and yams are available in all four seasons, the springs are sweet, the soil is fertile, and the people show no signs of suffering."
"What is particularly strange is that there are only women in the village, not a single male, and they are all as beautiful as flowers, with skin like congealed fat, graceful in appearance, and neat in clothing and adornment."
"Whenever a man enters the village, before he can stay long, village women surround and welcome him, laughing and feasting, setting out delicacies, offering cups of clear wine, and attending to him diligently, just like a fairyland in a dream. Men may get drunk on the fragrant breeze and beauty, and after returning home, they still think about it unceasingly, suspecting it was a delusion."
"It is also heard that the master of the village is a white-haired, youthful-looking shrine maiden, age unknown, appearing like a child but with an extraordinary aura, with eyes like gold, bright as the morning sun. All the women in the village revere her as a god, honor her like a mother, obey her like a teacher, and are submissive, daring not to disobey her orders."
"A village of women that can be self-sufficient is quite contrary to normal circumstances; perhaps there is sorcery involved. I will now personally go to the place to secretly investigate the situation and discern the truth."
"I guess this scout didn't come back either?"
Qi Xing rubbed his temples, his tone carrying a trace of weariness born of being accustomed to such things. In the past ten years, he had seen too many such messed-up things in this world.
However, this time,
"That is not the case; quite the opposite."
Gojo Masamichi shook his head, his eyes revealing a strange expression that was hard to describe,
"This diviner later returned personally to report that he had received a warm welcome in that 'Sugisawa Village'. Whether it was food or the nighttime hospitality, every night he took turns with the beauties in the village [redacted]."
"He said that this village might be doing this because they have lacked men for a long time, and the women are unable to farm, so they can only rely on this method to make a living."
"A village in the Northeast countryside doing this, while lewd and vulgar, is hard to control and doesn't involve dark arts… So the Onmyoryo just left it alone."
Don't forget, in this absurd and lewd world, such things are ultimately still considered relatively 'normal'.
"Over several hundred years, 'Sugisawa Village' has gradually become a quite famous place for philandering, passed down privately by word of mouth among the Mutsu people, and they are all beauties. Many men frequently visit for 'that purpose,' and at the same time, they bring various indispensable resources to the village."
For such an old village deep in the mountains, what are the essential resources? Naturally, it is new culture, new knowledge developed over hundreds of years, information from the outside, money… and, as a matter of course, bloodlines.
After all, a village with only women cannot truly exist perpetually on its own. They relied on this method to continue silently for hundreds of years.
For hundreds of years, that white-haired, youthful-looking, golden-eyed shrine maiden had been the person in charge of the village from beginning to end.
A white-haired, youthful-looking, golden-eyed shrine maiden? Heh.
So that person had been alive until now for at least the Edo period, and very likely since the Heian period—living for nearly a thousand years. No wonder the magic power of 'Amaterasu' was actually stronger than Father Amos.
"Is that village still there now?"
Qi Xing asked with a sneer.
Gojo Masamichi immediately shook his head: "As the saying goes, prosperity must decline; no matter how prosperous something is, it will eventually perish."
"After the Meiji Restoration, with the implementation of the new government policies, private prostitution in the provinces was constantly suppressed, and the prosperity of 'Sugisawa Village' declined year by year; ultimately, it could not withstand the development of the era. The attention of the local Mutsu people also began to turn to the outside world."
"More seriously, starting from that time, the spirit veins around Mount Hakkoda inexplicably showed abnormalities—impurities accumulated year by year, and the earth's energy began to be chaotic."
"The Onmyoryo had originally prepared to send people to intervene, but before they could act, the accident had already occurred."
His tone paused, and his eyes became even more grave.
"In May of the 13th year of Showa (1938), a sixteen-year-old boy named Kyoya Suda was staying in 'Sugisawa Village'. He suddenly went mad and, in a single night, used a hunting rifle and a katana to massacre the entire village."
"When the Onmyoryo investigators arrived and entered the village disguised as itinerant monks—they only saw the boy covered in blood, standing among the corpses, holding the severed head of the white-haired shrine maiden."
"He said only one sentence."
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